Microsoft Windows 8.1 Is Now Available

Octavean · Oct 17, 2013

Prima.Vera said:
So why isn't this called simply Win 8 SP1??

Marketing as has been said before,....Nomenclature is arbitrary though and at the discretion of Microsoft,...

However, while I have seen service packs add new features in the past its not something I think of as typical whereas Windows 8.1 does add some new features (regardless if these are desired features or not). Also note that Windows 8.1 was released about one year after Windows 8 which suggest this is Microsoft's interpretation of their cited annual OS upgrade cycle. Therefore it stands to reason that there will be two more OS upgrades such as Windows 8.2 and Windows 8.3 before they truly move on to something akin to Windows 9 or some truly new version. Assuming calling something that it isn't really is the trend,.....

VulkanBros · Oct 17, 2013

erixx said:
A WARNING DURING INSTALLATION: you will have to reinstall your software!!!

Just finished upgrading from Win 8 Pro x64 to 8.1....
All my applications, games, printers and you name it - all things are working just fine

TheMailMan78 · Oct 17, 2013

VulkanBros said:
Just finished upgrading from Win 8 Pro x64 to 8.1....
All my applications, games, printers and you name it - all things are working just fine

Yeah a friend of mine just upgraded and everything works fine also. He said he gained 13gb. Ill have to check it out tonight.

VulkanBros · Oct 17, 2013

TheMailMan78 said:
Yeah a friend of mine just upgraded and everything works fine also. He said he gained 13gb. Ill have to check it out tonight.

I gained about 4 - 4.5 GB - still good, SSD space is still expensive

Remember to run the cleanmgr.exe command afterwards - to delete the old Win installation...

Ravenas · Oct 17, 2013

Easy Rhino said:
The changes in 8.1 are a step in the right direction but not enough to make businesses pay for windows 8 to "upgrade" from 7. We still need a proper desktop!

It's easier to find the desired program you want on Windows 8 vs. any Windows version before it. I'm sick of hearing this start menu argument. Oh it's not business acceptable because the start menu doesn't appear as prior. Lol what a joke... Surface tablets are going to be the best choice for businesses and they run Windows 8 Pro and RT. You would do best to get used to it and quit living in the past because Windows isn't leaving enterprise for the foreseeable future.

Mathragh · Oct 17, 2013

Upgrade went fine and smooth on all 5 systems here, nothing I needed to reinstall. I do have a windows.old now, but it's "only" 4,3GB's. I suppose I can just delete it anyway. Furthermore, it took quite a while on my GF's surface RT lol, but that's just that slow tegra 3 being the bottleneck I suppose.

The only downside I now have is the obligatory start button. I don't need it, and can't delete it without using 3rd party programs and eventhough I'm not exactly short on task bar space, the fact that its obligated while from a functional point of view its totally irrelevant is quite a good reason to atleast give the user a choice i'd say!

Ohwell.

VulkanBros · Oct 17, 2013

Mathragh said:
Upgrade went fine and smooth on all 5 systems here, nothing I needed to reinstall. I do have a windows.old now, but it's "only" 4,3GB's. I suppose I can just delete it anyway. Furthermore, it took quite a while on my GF's surface RT lol, but that's just that slow tegra 3 being the bottleneck I suppose.

The only downside I now have is the obligatory start button. I don't need it, and can't delete it without using 3rd party programs and eventhough I'm not exactly short on task bar space, the fact that its obligated while from a functional point of view its totally irrelevant is quite a good reason to atleast give the user a choice i'd say!

Ohwell.

run the cleanmgr.exe (and click "Remove systemfiles") - it will remove all clutter from the upgrade - and it will be more than 4.3 GB...

manofthem · Oct 17, 2013

I left it to download the update when I left for work today, but I'm not excited about having a start menu back in there, as I've become very used to being without it. I suppose I shall see later tonight

Mathragh · Oct 17, 2013

VulkanBros said:
run the cleanmgr.exe (and click "Remove systemfiles") - it will remove all clutter from the upgrade - and it will be more than 4.3 GB...

Thnx, and it really is only 4,3GB. I double checked, and since I only have a small 120GB SSD I would've noticed if it was more I'd suppose.

Edit: Also another really annoying point I just came across: to complete the setup procedure I apparently MUST first login using an email/password combo :S. After I logged in with my usual login/password it only gives me the option to also login with an email/password combo. Really crappy. the next time around I might give Linux an even bigger chance(or get some server variant of windows). This is on pro btw.

Edit2: regarding obligatory email linking with local account: If you click " I'm not *stated account*" it'll skip everything and just go to the standard windows login which you can use without having to put in an email.
This is still quite lame though.

Easy Rhino · Oct 17, 2013

Ravenas said:
It's easier to find the desired program you want on Windows 8 vs. any Windows version before it. I'm sick of hearing this start menu argument. Oh it's not business acceptable because the start menu doesn't appear as prior. Lol what a joke... Surface tablets are going to be the best choice for businesses and they run Windows 8 Pro and RT. You would do best to get used to it and quit living in the past because Windows isn't leaving enterprise for the foreseeable future.

i invite you to visit my workplace. there well over 300 employees who have a desktop in their office running windows 7. if you were to upgrade to window 8 i guarantee 80% of them would be completely lost. it would be a nightmare for our User Services department. we are not alone. the interface change is the #1 reason why businesses are not switching to windows 8.

erixx · Oct 17, 2013

so sorry for upsetting some, but I started to update my 8.1 Preview computer. Later, when updating the stock win 8 I noticed that all programs stood in place.
One less issue for some!

xvi · Oct 17, 2013

I've clicked the upgrade link and while the Windows Store does launch, it just sits on the main screen. Anyone else getting this?

manofthem · Oct 17, 2013

xvi said:
I've clicked the upgrade link and while the Windows Store does launch, it just sits on the main screen. Anyone else getting this?

Any chance your user account control is set to off? I had to turn it back on in order for it to start.

VulkanBros · Oct 17, 2013

Crap - just found out that the Citrix Receiver is not working...at least not with IE....but works with Pale Moon....odd Citrix is owned by Microsoft as far as I know...
Maybe an update to the receiver will help...

Yes - updated the receiver from 4.0..... to 4.0.1.4 - then it works.....

Dos101 · Oct 17, 2013

RejZoR said:
Where can i bloody buy Win8.1 online, download ISO image and install the thing with USB drive? Want to go legit, but their webpages are so ridiculously confusing it's crazy. No wonder people prefer war_ez if they can't make one big red button with BUY written on it that would lead you to a purchasing process. Totally moronic.

Windows 8.1 general availability through retail is available tomorrow (Oct. 18). Today it is only available as an update for existing Windows 8 users.

xvi said:
I've clicked the upgrade link and while the Windows Store does launch, it just sits on the main screen. Anyone else getting this?

Give it time, Microsoft's servers are getting hammered right now.

Ravenas · Oct 17, 2013

Easy Rhino said:
i invite you to visit my workplace. there well over 300 employees who have a desktop in their office running windows 7. if you were to upgrade to window 8 i guarantee 80% of them would be completely lost. it would be a nightmare for our User Services department. we are not alone. the interface change is the #1 reason why businesses are not switching to windows 8.

Lol. Businesses don't just upgrade whenever a new OS is released. You're talking about an OS (and interface for that manner) that is barely in its life cycle. Businesses upgrade based on other factors. Your company isn't just going to upgrade to 8 because Windows 8 is the newest and coolest thing. That's not how it works in enterprise.

erocker · Oct 17, 2013

Does Start8 work with 8.1?

qubit · Oct 17, 2013

RejZoR said:
Where can i bloody buy Win8.1 online, download ISO image and install the thing with USB drive? Want to go legit, but their webpages are so ridiculously confusing it's crazy. No wonder people prefer war_ez if they can't make one big red button with BUY written on it that would lead you to a purchasing process. Totally moronic.

You know what makes it even stupider? Just look at how Amazon does it. The answer is right there.

Beautifully designed website makes it a breeze to shop at. Couple that with superb customer service and you have a very efficient wallet emptying machine. I should know. :laugh:

VulkanBros · Oct 17, 2013

erocker said:
Does Start8 work with 8.1?

Yes version 1.30 does

rtwjunkie · Oct 17, 2013

erocker said:
Does Start8 work with 8.1?

Yes, it does. They put out an update about 6 weeks ago that was ugraded specifically for 8.1!

EDIT: Sorry, Vulcan! I answered before getting to the end of the thread to see if anyone else answered.

Steve-007UK · Oct 17, 2013

Well it all seemed to go well untill i tryed to play some music and realise i have no bloody sound and i can't seem to fix it. Back to windows 7 for me as i cant be arsed with 8 anymore had enough of it.

And yes i have tryed uninstalling drivers and reinstalling and also letting my card use the windows driver to but nothing works and i refuse to use my shity onboard sound chip.

TheOne · Oct 17, 2013

My laptop upgraded from Windows 8.1 Preview (UAC off) to Windows 8.1 Pro without a problem, only took about 20-30 minutes to download and 10-20 minutes to install the update, all of my programs were removed of course, don't really use 'Apps'.

Haven't bothered to actually activate it since I'm hoping Valve is going to release SteamOS next week when they begin giving out the Beta 'Steam Machines', and I intend to use my laptop to test it like I have Windows 8 and 8.1, though mainly the streaming function.

Mathragh said:
The only downside I now have is the obligatory start button. I don't need it, and can't delete it without using 3rd party programs and eventhough I'm not exactly short on task bar space, the fact that its obligated while from a functional point of view its totally irrelevant is quite a good reason to atleast give the user a choice i'd say!

Ohwell.

You know traditional Windows supporters say the samething about the start menu, guess now the Windows 8 fans and the traditional Windows fans have something in common, they both have to use a mod to make Windows 8.1 like they want it or stick with the older versions, Windows 7 and 8. :laugh:

Of course this could be avoided if Microsoft would just do the one thing their customers want and make Windows 8/8.1 more customizable so Windows users can set it up how they want, whether it is a more classic style or a more mobile style or a mix.

Easy Rhino · Oct 17, 2013

Ravenas said:
Lol. Businesses don't just upgrade whenever a new OS is released. You're talking about an OS (and interface for that manner) that is barely in its life cycle. Businesses upgrade based on other factors. Your company isn't just going to upgrade to 8 because Windows 8 is the newest and coolest thing. That's not how it works in enterprise.

uh, when did i say businesses upgrade whenever a new OS is released? if windows 8 continues to utilize the metro interface even years down the road you won't see businesses upgrading. you will in fact see them skip windows 8 and wait for a much more business friendly windows 9 which is already in heavy development. :nutkick:

brandonwh64 · Oct 17, 2013

erocker said:
Does Start8 work with 8.1?

Just installed the 8.1 upgrade and it saved all my apps and my start8 still works like a charm. I suggest the upgrade if you have non legacy equipment.

Should I delete windows.old?

Easy Rhino · Oct 17, 2013

brandonwh64 said:
Just installed the 8.1 upgrade and it saved all my apps and my start8 still works like a charm. I suggest the upgrade if you have non legacy equipment.

Should I delete windows.old?

delete windows.*

Processor	RyZen R9 3950X
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Taichi
Cooling	Coolermaster Master Liquid ML240L RGB
Memory	64GB DDR4 3200 (4x16GB)
Video Card(s)	RTX 3050
Storage	Samsung 2TB SSD
Display(s)	Asus VE276Q, VE278Q and VK278Q triple 27” 1920x1080
Case	Zulman MS800
Audio Device(s)	On Board
Power Supply	Seasonic 650W
VR HMD	Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest V1, Oculus Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 64bit

System Name	Commercial towing vehicle "Nostromo"
Processor	5800X3D
Motherboard	X570 Unify
Cooling	EK-AIO 360
Memory	32 GB Fury 3666 MHz
Video Card(s)	4070 Ti Eagle
Storage	SN850 NVMe 1TB + Renegade NVMe 2TB + 870 EVO 4TB
Display(s)	25" Legion Y25g-30 360Hz
Case	Lian Li LanCool 216 v2
Audio Device(s)	Razer Blackshark v2 Hyperspeed / Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
Power Supply	HX1500i
Mouse	Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition
Keyboard	Scope II 96 Wireless
Software	Windows 11 23H2 / Fedora w. KDE

System Name	TheMailbox 5.0 / The Mailbox 4.5
Processor	RYZEN 1700X / Intel i7 2600k @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard	Fatal1ty X370 Gaming K4 / Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel LGA 1155
Cooling	MasterLiquid PRO 280 / Scythe Katana 4
Memory	ADATA RGB 16GB DDR4 2666 16-16-16-39 / G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB DDR3 1866: 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s)	MSI 1080 "Duke" with 8Gb of RAM. Boost Clock 1847 MHz / ASUS 780ti
Storage	256Gb M4 SSD / 128Gb Agelity 4 SSD , 500Gb WD (7200)
Display(s)	LG 29" Class 21:9 UltraWide® IPS LED Monitor 2560 x 1080 / Dell 27"
Case	Cooler Master MASTERBOX 5t / Cooler Master 922 HAF
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec / SupremeFX X-Fi with Bose Companion 2 speakers.
Power Supply	Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-750PX 750W Platinum / SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold
Mouse	SteelSeries Sensei (RAW) / Logitech G5
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow / Logitech (Unknown)
Software	Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Benchmark Scores	Benching is for bitches.

System Name	Commercial towing vehicle "Nostromo"
Processor	5800X3D
Motherboard	X570 Unify
Cooling	EK-AIO 360
Memory	32 GB Fury 3666 MHz
Video Card(s)	4070 Ti Eagle
Storage	SN850 NVMe 1TB + Renegade NVMe 2TB + 870 EVO 4TB
Display(s)	25" Legion Y25g-30 360Hz
Case	Lian Li LanCool 216 v2
Audio Device(s)	Razer Blackshark v2 Hyperspeed / Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
Power Supply	HX1500i
Mouse	Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition
Keyboard	Scope II 96 Wireless
Software	Windows 11 23H2 / Fedora w. KDE

System Name	AM5
Processor	AMD Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard	Asrock X670E Taichi
Cooling	EK AIO Basic 360
Memory	Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5600 64 Gb - XMP1 Profile
Video Card(s)	AMD Reference 7900 XTX 24 Gb
Storage	Crucial Gen 5 1 TB, Samsung Gen 4 980 1 TB / Samsung 8TB SSD
Display(s)	Samsung 34" 240hz 4K
Case	Fractal Define R7
Power Supply	Seasonic PRIME PX-1300, 1300W 80+ Platinum, Full Modular

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Is Now Available

Octavean

VulkanBros

TheMailMan78

Big Member

VulkanBros

Ravenas

Mathragh

VulkanBros

manofthem

WCG-TPU Team All-Star!

Mathragh

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate

erixx

xvi

manofthem

WCG-TPU Team All-Star!

VulkanBros

Dos101

Ravenas

erocker

*

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit

VulkanBros

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast

Steve-007UK

TheOne

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate

System Name	PC \|\|Zephyrus G14 2023
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900x \|\| R9 7940HS @ 55W
Motherboard	MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI \|\| default
Cooling	1x Corsair XR5 360mm Rad\|\|
Memory	2x16GB HyperX 3600 @ 3800 \|\| 32GB DDR5 @ 4800MTs
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2080Ti Sea Hawk EK X \|\| RTX 4060 OC
Storage	Samsung 9801TB x2 + Striped Tiered Storage Space (2x 128Gb SSD + 2x 1TB HDD) \|\| 1TB NVME
Display(s)	Iiyama PL2770QS + Samsung U28E590, \|\| 14' 2560x1600 165Hz IPS
Case	SilverStone Alta G1M \|\|
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar DX
Power Supply	Cooler Master V850 SFX \|\| 240W
Mouse	ROG Pugio II
Software	Win 11 64bit \|\| Win 11 64bit

Processor	3900X @ 4.0
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X570-E
Cooling	DeepCool Castle 360EX
Memory	G Skill Trident Z Neo 32GB 3600
Video Card(s)	RX 5700 XT Pulse
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB
Display(s)	LG 34UC88
Case	Thermaltake P3
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III 750w
Mouse	Logitech G900
Keyboard	G Skill KM570 MX Silver
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Desktop
Processor	i5 13600KF
Motherboard	AsRock B760M Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling	Noctua NH-U9S
Memory	4x 16 Gb Gskill S5 DDR5 @6000
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Gaming OC 6750 XT 12GB
Storage	WD_BLACK 4TB SN850x
Display(s)	Gigabye M32U
Case	Corsair Carbide 400C
Audio Device(s)	On Board
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Mouse	MX Master 3s
Keyboard	Logitech G915 Wireless Clicky
Software	The Matrix

System Name	Rainbow
Processor	Intel Core i7 8700k
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z390M GAMING EDGE AC
Cooling	Corsair H115i, 2x Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM
Memory	G. Skill TridentZ RGB 4x8GB (F4-3600C16Q-32GTZR)
Video Card(s)	ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity
Storage	2x Samsung 950 Pro 256GB \| 2xHGST Deskstar 4TB 7.2K
Display(s)	Samsung C27HG70
Case	Xigmatek Aquila
Power Supply	Seasonic 760W SS-760XP
Mouse	Razer Deathadder 2013
Keyboard	Corsair Vengeance K95
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	4 trillion points in GmailMark, over 144 FPS 2K Facebook Scrolling (Extreme Quality preset)

System Name	Blue Beast 2.0
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS MASTER
Cooling	EK EK-AIO 360 D-RGB
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	EVGA RTX 3090 Ultra Gaming Hybrid
Storage	Seagate FireCuda 520 500GB NVME, Western Digital SN750 1TB NVME, Western Digital SN850 1TB NVME
Display(s)	AOC AG271QG, Dell UltraSharp U2414H
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic - Black
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar DGX PCI-E 5.1
Power Supply	Corsair HX850i
Mouse	Logitech G502 HERO
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe MK.2 Cherry MX Silent
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64bit

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASUS TUF x670e
Cooling	EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory	32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 4090
Storage	WD m.2
Display(s)	LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case	Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic Evo
Audio Device(s)	Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Headphone Amp.
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse	Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard	Tester84
Software	Windows 11

System Name	Quantumville™
Processor	Intel Core i7-2700K @ 4GHz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
Cooling	Noctua NH-D14
Memory	16GB (2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance Black DDR3 PC3-12800 C9 1600MHz)
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming X Trio
Storage	Samsung 850 Pro 256GB \| WD Black 4TB \| WD Blue 6TB
Display(s)	ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQR (4K, 144Hz, G-SYNC compatible) \| Asus MG28UQ (4K, 60Hz, FreeSync compatible)
Case	Cooler Master HAF 922
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty PCIe
Power Supply	Corsair AX1600i
Mouse	Microsoft Intellimouse Pro - Black Shadow
Keyboard	Yes
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Processor	Core i9-9900k
Motherboard	ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling	All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax ETS-T50 Black CPU cooler
Memory	32GB (2x16) Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s)	ASUS RTX 4070 Ti Super OC 16GB
Storage	1x 1TB MX500 (OS); 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 2TB MX500; 1x 1TB BX500 SSD; 1x 6TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s)	Infievo 27" 165Hz @ 2560 x 1440
Case	Fractal Design Define R4 Black -windowed
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus GX-1000 Gold
Mouse	Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard	Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)

System Name	PC-Chips
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700x3D
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming.
Cooling	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE.
Memory	Patriot Viper 32gig dual channel 3600mhz
Video Card(s)	PowerColor HellHound RX 7900 GRE OC
Storage	2 Samsung 860 EVO's 500gig / 2TB crucial P3-NVME / WD-BLUE SN550 1TB M.2 / SP A55 512gig / 8TB HDD
Display(s)	TCL 50-inch 4k TV freesync HDR
Case	Modded NZXT H510
Audio Device(s)	Realtek S1220A - Yamaha A-S501 AMP - Wharfedale diamond 9.1 speakers - Wharfedale SW150 sub
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA G6 750W 80+ Gold
Mouse	Some cheap wireless thing
Keyboard	Razer Cynosa lite
VR HMD	Oculus Quest 2 128gig version
Software	Windows 11 pro 64bit